


im on a naruto binge, huh?

by orphan_account



Series: All Written by Same Author [28]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Brotherly Angst, Brotherly Love, Canon Temporary Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Character Study??? gee whiz..., Child Death (not explicit), Don't Repost Onto Another Site, Fix-It of Sorts, Fourth Shinobi War, Gen, HUGE under-usage of character names, I dunno why, I wrote this in probably under an hour, Most characters are only mentioned, POV Second Person, Rated teen just to be safe, Surprisingly not crack, Temporary Character Death, Very little dialogue, don't copy onto another site, dont get your hopes up, except for izuna's personality, hashirama is p scary, i will probably never write madara & izuna without some reference to separation anxiety, is neji dead? we'll never know..., it just came out that way?, it's referenced a lot and we dont have anything concrete on him, my and others' headcanons are dotted throughout but basically blink and they'll be missed, no matter how vague, oh and also some non-canon childhood trauma, spoilers: it's madara & izuna, too many tags, you cant convince me otherwise...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:01:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25832449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: vague au where izuna was reincarnated into the uchiha clan, survives the massacre, and regains the memories and identity of his past life.except through madara's perspective, who's dead for basically all of that, so... yeah, vague au.
Relationships: Senju Hashirama & Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Izuna & Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Izuna & Uchiha Madara & Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Izuna & Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Madara & Uchiha Obito
Series: All Written by Same Author [28]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2032297
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35





	im on a naruto binge, huh?

**Author's Note:**

> what the hell is this?

Your brother dies, your favorite smile etched on his face. His last act was to better you, to take your weaknesses to the grave. (To let you see the light of day.)

Your hate burns stronger when you see the memories kept within Izuna's eyes. You see what the Senju did to him when he was a mere child, when you weren't there, when you couldn't have protected him anyways. Izuna and your brother who you have the least memory of are only looting corpses from a battle long lost. Togakushi is beaten and killed in front of you, his identity mistaken for the Clan Head's child by the Senju. He's just a kid, hardly older than Izuna was in the memories.

How could you have perceived a world of peace, when there's awful people like that? Your brother was right. The Senju have killed everyone. 

* * *

You fight the way you never have—you don't dance, this time. Despite this, you are beaten. Your childhood friend is still an unattainable marker, it seems. He is inherently better than you, you've always thought. 

He's a Senju. _They've_ killed everyone, but since when could Hashirama ever be compared to someone else, let alone a group? Surely, Izuna didn't mean _him_. (Izuna hissed at the offered hand, spat blood and died out of spite. Of course he meant _him_. But Izuna trusts you, doesn't he? [ _Trusted_. Trusted you to _listen_.])

You need assurance. You need to see your childhood friend's guts—his resolve or intestines, either will do. You almost see both. It's enough.

For now. 

* * *

Your childhood dream comes to fruition. It's glorious to see through your brother's eyes. He called you an idealist, but he would always humor you with the logistics of your lofty dream. _Visionary_ , he'd whisper under his breath, impressed. _Foolish_ , he'd call you and mean it. 

If only you could remember his questions and corrections. If you could, you wouldn't be so paranoid. This dream of yours would be a true reality. 

If you could, you wouldn't know that this is the beginning of your end. (You can tell your future end is coming—it looms at your back as you focus on the past.)

Quickly, your dream becomes your nightmare– and then you wake up. You leave the village. You want a different dream. Something bigger than the last, where awful people can't ever hurt others. _You'll create an even larger nightmare_ , Izuna would warn. 

But he doesn't, because your brother isn't here. 

* * *

Your brother loved animals. He used to catch frogs and toads, used to imitate cats and admire your birds. He could be vulnerable with them, could express himself freely—he didn't need to manipulate animals. 

He always tried to tame the wild things, and mostly succeeded. He'd be proud, you think, that his eyes are capable of taming the Kyūbi. ( _You're just manipulating it,_ your inner dissenting voice whispers, _he'd be so sad._ [You can't hear your own thoughts, right now.]) 

You fight _and_ dance this time, but Hashirama remains victorious. He tells you of his dedication, of how he holds only his dream holy. Your childhood friend has changed, no longer willing to show both his resolve and his intestines. He would instead choose to kill his last brother, now.

He horrifies you, but Hashirama has always been inherently better, hasn't he? Is that kind of devotion what one needs to succeed? (Devotion. Your brother was devoted to you, sacrificed his closest friend to be by your side. It was sweet of him, you always thought, but now you can understand how others found him creepy.)

You tear at your childhood friend's arm with your teeth. Your brother used to bite your cousins, you remember, always so violent, even toward your own clan. (He stopped immediately when he made one of them cry, you fail to remember. He hated that violent part of himself. You revere it.)

This is your end, but your brother's eyes have always been kind to you. 

* * *

You fashion yourself a better existence with that piece of your childhood friend you tore off. He used to help you improve, so he'll do so now. 

You dream and dream. Bigger and bigger, better and better. You strategize, you plot. You wither away, you rot. 

(Your brother's eyes can't go to waste. Not with how Hashirama improved them, improved you. You have them implanted into another, someone you can tell has a destiny. You scavenge for other eyes, so you can still see. [Izuna wanted you to see.])

You make an exercise of patience, and you are rewarded. An Uchiha boy is in your cave, and you smile. Your plan is working.

* * *

You once killed a beloved friend for power. What is killing someone else's for your own gain? It's for your grand dream. It's worth it. The majesty of your planned future—this is forgivable. 

(Whose forgiveness do you require? You can't recall. Or perhaps you don't care, anymore.)

The Uchiha boy returns to you, and you take advantage of his mental breakdown. To have a Mangekyou ability that removes one from this plane of existence so perfectly validates Obito's denial of his broken reality. Convincing him of your dream world is easy.

You both spend years in your genjutsu within mere minutes, until you know you can trust him. You leave him your will incarnate, in case your judgment has withered along with your body. Your will can guide him if he strays.

This is your second end. But your brother's eyes have always been kind to you, and you've a plan for them to bring you back.

* * *

This jutsu is a mockery of life, but it shows its benefits soon enough. You dance with shinobi of all the nations, plough through them near effortlessly. You want to test your prowess, to see the despair on the only face you recognize. The face belongs to no one important to you, but there is always comfort in familiarity. 

You get to see the shock, the helplessness. It didn't used to make you feel better, but it does now. 

You revel in the despair of your enemies, of the Kage you see as pathetic and weak. Your childhood friend's granddaughter is surprising, and you can make out the relation, but she, too, is no match for you. 

* * *

You and your Uchiha boy stand side by side. He was hasty, but ultimately efficient. Something strangely like pride is present within you, but you care very little for it. You'll sacrifice him, if necessary—that is certain. 

Like Hashirama, you now hold nothing holy but your dream.

* * *

There are two Uchiha teenagers, nearly identical. One looks astoundingly related to… your brother. The other is Izuna's exact image.

 _You always forgave me, Izuna. We're family, bound to always make excuses for each other_ , you think almost desperately, forgetting how much Izuna loved the clan you've forsaken. But you remember how little you care now, just in time to stab him through the side.

His shock and his helpless despair do not make you feel better, not like the others' do. But it doesn't make you feel worse, so you twist his own sword in harder.

Blood spurts from his mouth, and an unsettling deja vu crawls through your now beating veins.

"Nii-san…" He says like he knows you, and your blood runs cold.

That's your brother's voice. Your brother's face, your brother's side. You're killing your brother. 

Somehow, you manage to stop caring.

"Izuna!" The other Uchiha teenager yells out.

You look at your brother's face. This child even has his name. _This is for my dream_ , you whisper internally, _This is forgivable, don't you see? You will. You'll see—you always did._

His face twists and scrunches up. It goes pitifully slack when tears pour from your brother's eyes. You've tried to be like Hashirama, to not care, and you've succeeded for a long time.

But you realize that you've never seen your brother cry. Not once.

...And you discover that the sight breaks your heart. 

* * *

You cradle your brother close. Your dream has once again become your nightmare. You've woken up again, only to find that you became one of those awful people who only hurt others. _Visionary_ , your brother called you. _Foolish_ , he was right to say. 

Your brother holds you close, not inclined to die from spite, this time. The enemies—your brother's allies—watch, dumbfounded, as you both cry on the ground. Izuna wipes your tears away. You remember a time when you both could hardly stand to spend a day apart.

"I'm so angry with you, Nii-san." Your brother tells you, smiling still. "But I can't ever stop loving you."

"I tried to." You admit shamefully. "I tried to stop loving you. I wanted to."

Izuna jabs his thumb into your cheek, the way he always used to when emotions made him uncomfortable.

"I tried to, too." He whispers. "I came into this life remembering you—but you weren't here." He glances at the other Uchiha teenager. "Sasuke's your reincarnation, but he isn't _you_."

"You weren't here, either." You accuse weakly.

He smiles sadly. Disappointedly. He's disappointed in himself, you can tell. 

"And yet, here we are. I'm so sorry, Nii-san."

This. Holding your dearest brother in your arms. This is all you ever wanted. This is your dream, you think. 

The full moon is in the sky. You've created a nightmare, like you always do.

"...I'm sorry, too."

* * *

Your will incarnate is a monster, and not even your own. He revives his mother, apparently some alien lady who first brought chakra to your world. She wants to hold everyone under her rule, to put everyone down for eternal naptime. 

You're directionless. You were always the leader, the one everyone followed, the one your brother always supported. You could let Kaguya take over. It's what you wanted. 

You look to your brother. Izuna always valued freedom. He didn't want peace with the Senju because they were stronger, because he thought the Uchiha would be controlled.

He's your equal, isn't he? You'll follow him, this time. 

* * *

Your brother and yourself, your childhood friend, your Uchiha boy, your brother's killer. Hashirama's reincarnation, your own reincarnation, your Uchiha boy's other half. A pink-haired disciple of the Senju, the other dead Hokage, and the most extraordinary taijutsu master.

You all stand together against Kaguya, and this is the shortest war you've ever fought. Two days? 

It's… laughable. 

Izuna laughs with you. 

* * *

You and Obito are taken into custody, your eyes and chakra sealed. Frankly, no one really wants to poke around your mind, wants to understand your philosophy. What if they turn out like you?

They know you both could break out any time, that they couldn't kill you. You're both an open secret that nobody likes to think about. 

Old age, they're gunning for, and it's really their best bet. 

House arrest, you offer, as long as you're with Izuna. You won't cause any trouble, you promise. They've done the same with Orochimaru, you've heard. And Obito's on his way to be saddled to the new Hokage, you reason.

Izuna is trustworthy, they think. He stopped Sasuke from becoming a traitor. He's upheld Konoha's ideals since graduation, and is a naturalized citizen. He helped defeat Kaguya in the war. It could work.

Besides, what else can they do with you?

* * *

This is your third end, given to you by Izuna's tears–

You sit with your brother and your reincarnation in the Uchiha Compound. You drink tea and birdwatch. Izuna nuzzles his head into the sides of you both, imitating how the roaming cats show affection. He's sweet, you and Sasuke agree, smiling softly, pinching his cheek and poking his forehead.

–but his eyes have always been kind to you, so your final ending is _happy_.

**Author's Note:**

> Guys, I'm so sorry if the lack of names is confusing, here's a complete list (in order!!):
> 
> Your brother/[an] Uchiha teenager/This child: Izuna  
> You/yourself: Madara  
> Your brother who you have the least memory of: Togakushi (more on his name below)  
> Your childhood friend: Hashirama  
> [Hashirama's] last brother/Your brother's killer: Tobirama  
> Another/Someone you can tell has a destiny: Nagato  
> An/The/Your Uchiha boy: Obito  
> Someone else's [beloved friend]: Rin  
> Your will incarnate: Black Zetsu  
> The only face you recognize: Oonoki  
> Your childhood friend's granddaughter: Tsunade  
> Alien lady: Kaguya  
> Hashirama's reincarnation: Naruto  
> The (other) Uchiha teenager/Your (own) reincarnation: Sasuke  
> Your Uchiha boy's other half/The new Hokage: Kakashi  
> A pink-haired disciple of the Senju: Sakura  
> The other dead Hokage: Hiruzen & Minato  
> The most extraordinary taijutsu master: Gai
> 
> Okay, so Togakushi's name comes from a Tumblr post I saw [here](https://fineillsignup.tumblr.com/post/182665874053/theory-about-madara-and-izunas-names). Pretty neat, huh?


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